The only people who love dogs more than John Wick are moviegoers, it seems. If you’ve spent even a second scrolling through horror news over the last few days, you probably noticed one question trending: Does the dog die in Good Boy? After IFC Films dropped the first posters and the first trailer yesterday, searches for “does the dog die in Good Boy” shot up by over 2,000 percent on Google. That’s a lot of worried dog lovers. And yes, it’s fair to admit, our concern for a pupper’s fate might outweigh any fear of ghosts or creepy teenagers in horror movies.
Co-writer and director Ben Leonberg puts his family dog Indy at the center of this 2025 supernatural horror movie. The premise is simple: Indy’s in a haunted house where his owner can’t sense the spirits, and these ghosts aren’t just there to decorate. They could hurt them both. That’s tension enough for anyone who loves dogs.
But Indy isn’t just a cute side character here. He’s the star. At SXSW earlier this year, the movie premiered to strong reviews, and Indy won the festival’s first-ever Howl of Fame award. Take that Benji!
Beyond the emotional stakes, though, Good Boy is getting serious praise. It currently holds a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics describing it as spooky, unnerving, and surprisingly heartfelt. Even if ScreenRant gave it a 6 out of 10, they had to admit, “Indy is the cutest ghost hunter you’ve ever seen.”
Of course, the internet went bonkers after the first trailer arrived. And rightfully so. I mean, you can’t help but invest when a dog is the one facing real danger you can’t control.
The trailer leans into the dog’s perspective, which is unusual for horror. You see the story unfold through Indy’s eyes, so when the house starts acting up, you’re right there with him. You notice things the human can’t. You feel the tension in every paw step. This perspective twist makes the horror feel more immediate, and the stakes hit differently when your protagonist is wagging his tail.
Warning spoilers below.
Well, there’s good spoiler news for those who really must know the dog’s fate. Does the dog die in Good Boy? No, Indy survives. The dog lives. You can finally breathe easy and stop imagining the worst.
Good Boy opens in theaters on October 3.
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